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| Founded | 1946 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Yellowknife Airport, Iqaluit Airport |
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| Frequent-flyer program | Aeroplan | |||
| Airport lounge | No | |||
| Fleet size | 20,[2][3] 26[4] | |||
| Destinations | 34[5] | |||
| Headquarters | Kanata, Ontario[6] | |||
| Key people | (Vacant)President & C.E.O Kris Dolinki VP (Acting President & C.E.O, Finance Rashwan Domloge VP, Maintenance Chris Ferris VP, Marketing & Sales Bill Roach VP, Flight Operations Bill Thompson VP, Commercial Operations[7] |
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| Website | http://www.firstair.ca | |||
Bradley Air Services Limited, operating as First Air, is an airline headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, Canada.[6] It operates services to 30 communities in Nunavut, Nunavik, and the Northwest Territories.[5] The majority of its fleet is available for charters worldwide. First Air has also assisted in various humanitarian missions such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, airlifting relief supplies and equipment.[8] Its main base - including a large hangar and maintenance facility - is Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, with hubs at Iqaluit Airport and Yellowknife Airport.[9]
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The airline was founded by Canadian aviation pioneer Russel (Russ) Bradley and started operations as Bradley Air Services in 1946 and is still registered under that name. First Air first started scheduled operations in 1973, between Ottawa and North Bay. This service was operated with an eight seat passenger plane. Eventually, the airline would have southern gateways at Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa. Through Kuujjuaq, in Nunavik and Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, the airline provides services to 26 Inuit communities in Nunavut, Nunavik and the NWT.[5] Service to Sanikiluaq, Nunavut is provided in partnership with Air Inuit. In 1995 First Air bought Ptarmigan Airways, and in 1997 it bought Northwest Territorial Airways, both of which were merged into First Air. In 2011 First Air celebrated its 65th anniversary.[10][11]
First Air is wholly owned by the Inuit people of Quebec through the Makivik Corporation, who purchased the company in 1990.[12][13]
On 21 August 2008, First Air fired president Bob Davis and replaced him with new president Scott Bateman. Davis had been president since December 1997 and had several disagreements with First Air over a period of time.[14]
On 5 June 2009 First Air received their first wide-body aircraft in the form of a Boeing 767-223 SF (Super Freighter) which is under a 3 year dry lease from (CAM) Cargo Aircraft Management, a subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group (ATSG).[15]
After the introduction of the more economical (both operationally and logistically) Boeing 767-223SF, in March 2010, First Air retired and removed their two Boeing 727-233 aircraft from their fleet. One was one of only two combi types in the world, and the last 727-200 in North America on scheduled passenger/freight services. The other 727-233F full freighter has also been phased out. These aircraft are currently stored in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Joining these aircraft is a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 C-GFNW which has been retired as of late March 2011. Replacing this aircraft will be 2 Aérospatiale ATR72's as part of First Air's fleet replacement program. These are to come online late first quarter 2011.
In February 2011, First Air along with Qikiqtaaluk Corporation (QC) started a new airline named Qikiqtani First Aviation Ltd. The new company provides services throughout the Qikiqtani Region utilizing First Air’s fleet.[16]
On December 14, 2011 Scott Bateman President and CEO Resigned his position abruptly with First Air. The position is vacant at this time while a successor is selected.[17]
First Air operates services to the following domestic scheduled destinations:[5]
The First Air fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of December 2011):[2][3][4]
| Aircraft | No. of Aircraft (FAB list)[2][3] |
No. of Aircraft (TC list)[4] |
Variants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aérospatiale ATR 42 | 9 | 9 | ATR42-300 ATR42-320 |
42 seats, combi aircraft, ice/gravel runway capable[3][18] |
| Aérospatiale ATR 72 | 0/2 | 2 | ATR-72-212C | Combi aircraft up to 60 passengers[19] |
| Hawker Siddeley HS 748 | 1/0 | 2 | Series 2 Series 2A |
40 seats, combi aircraft, large cargo door & ice/gravel runway capable.[3] This airframe has been retired and is now stored in Trois-Rivières QC. |
| Boeing 727 | 1/0 | 2 | 727-233F | Cargo only, ice runway capable.[3] Those aircraft were retired from the fleet late 2009, and are stored in Trois-Rivières QC. |
| Boeing 737 | 7/6 | 7 | 737-200 737-200C |
3 200C, 115 seats, combi or 7 pallets full freighter configuration, ice/gravel runway capable, 4 200's 99 seats and no cargo[3][20][21] |
| Boeing 767 | 1 | 1 | 767-223SF | Cargo only 19 pallet configuration, as food mail no longer exists this is now primarily used for the Nutrition North Program.[3][22] |
| Lockheed L-100 Hercules | 2 | 2 | L-382G | Cargo only configuration 5-8 pallets or bulk loaded freight.[3][23] |
A Douglas DC-3 is still listed with Transport Canada but with its certificate cancelled.[4]